Review of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) by Maha M — 30 Jan 2013

Telling the real story of the editor of French Elle magazine Jean-Dominique Bauby who suffered a stroke and was paralysed at the age of 43, only able to communicate by blinking an eye. Filmed from the man's perspective, a process seemingly demanding but incredibly appealing and involving the whole way through to the point that arguably in the few from more conventional camera viewpoints we feel cheated.

Schnabel's film shows how photography can play a huge part in enhancing the audience's perspective of a character's emotions and live a film like a book written in first person. Quite an original and effective biopic by the celebrated painter and filmmaker.